Kini [KEE-nee] Varona, 12, loved to sit on her porch and look at the ocean. She lived in Lahaina. It’s on Maui. That’s a Hawaiian island. 

    Kini lived with her family. Her mom grew up in Lahaina. Her grandparents lived nearby.

    But Kini’s life changed on August 8.

    On that day, wildfires ripped through Maui. The biggest one engulfed Lahaina. The winds were strong. The flames spread fast.

    The fire surprised people. The emergency siren had not sounded. And in many areas, the power and internet were down. A hurricane had knocked them out. So some people didn’t know the fire was coming.

    The fire killed at least 100 people. It demolished more than 2,200 houses and buildings.

    What was it like to live through this devastating event? Read on to find out. Kini shared her story with us.

    Kini [KEE-nee] Varona, 12, loved looking out at the blue waters of the Pacific Ocean from her front porch. She lived with her family on the Hawaiian island of Maui, in Lahaina—the same town her mom had grown up in. Her grandparents lived nearby.

    But Kini’s life changed forever on August 8.

    That’s when several wildfires roared to life on Maui. The biggest one engulfed Lahaina, with strong winds causing the flames to spread quickly through the area.

    The intense blaze caught many people by surprise because the emergency siren had not gone off to warn them. Additionally, some people didn’t realize that the wildfire was coming because the power and internet service in many areas had already been knocked out by a hurricane.

    By the time the fire was over, it had killed at least 100 people. More than 2,200 houses and buildings had been demolished.

    What was it like to live through this devastating event? We asked Kini to share her powerful story.

    I looked out the window and saw smoke. My mom is a firefighter, so I knew she was probably there. I asked my dad, “Can we get a closer look at the fire?” 

    We drove to my neighbors’ house. They have a patio up high with a good view. I saw a huge cloud of black smoke. We could hear explosions. My dad told me the sound was fuel tanks or cars blowing up.

    My dad is a firefighter too. He wanted to go to the Lahaina fire station so he could listen to the radio and help. He said, “We’re probably going to stay the night, so just pack a change of clothes or two.”

    I looked out the window. I saw smoke. My mom is a firefighter. I knew she was probably there. I asked my dad, “Can we get a closer look at the fire?” 

    We drove to my neighbors’ house. They have a patio. It’s up high. The view is good. I saw a huge cloud of black smoke. We could hear explosions. My dad told me the sound was fuel tanks or cars blowing up.

    My dad is a firefighter too. He wanted to help. We went to the Lahaina fire station. He said we would probably stay the night. I packed some clothes.

    I looked out the window and saw smoke. My mom is a firefighter, so I knew she was probably there. “Can we get a closer look at the fire?” I asked my dad.

    We drove to my neighbors’ house because they have a patio up high with a good view. I saw a huge cloud of black smoke. We could hear explosions, which my dad told me was the sound of fuel tanks or cars blowing up.

    My dad is a firefighter too, and he wanted to go to the Lahaina fire station so that he could listen to the radio and help. He said, “We’re probably going to stay the night, so just pack a change of clothes or two.”

    At first, no one was there.

    At 9 or 10 p.m., my mom came back. So did other firefighters. They had ash on their faces. They were crying. I could hear my mom’s walkie-talkie. Someone said the fire was heading toward my neighborhood. I asked my mom if our house would be OK. She said, “Nope, I don’t think so.”

    My dad said, “We have to leave. The fire could get here.” We got in the car. We tried to go one way. But the road was blocked. There was so much traffic. I could see smoke devouring my neighborhood.

    I didn’t think we’d make it out. But we did. We went to a fire station in another town. We saw some friends. They said we could stay at their house.

    When we first arrived, no one was there.

    At 9 or 10 p.m., my mom and some other firefighters came back with ash on their faces, and they were crying. I could hear voices coming through on my mom’s walkie-talkie, and at one point, I heard someone say the fire was headed toward my neighborhood. I asked my mom, “Is our house going to be OK?” She said, “Nope, I don’t think so.”

    Then my dad said, “We have to leave. The fire could get here.” We got in the car and tried to go one way, but there was so much traffic that the road was blocked. I could see a giant, glowing smoke cloud devouring my neighborhood.

    I didn’t think we’d make it out, but somehow, we did. We ended up at a fire station in a nearby town, where we saw some friends who offered to let us stay at their house.

    About a week or two after the fire, we were able to go back to Lahaina to look for our two cats. We had to wear masks because of all the ash and fumes. The house was flat, and our truck was melted. The metal looked like a liquid, but it was solid. 

    We found our first cat, Pumpkin, on that day we went back. We didn’t find our other cat until a few weeks later. I was shocked and very happy that they had survived.

    A week or two after the fire, we went back to Lahaina. We went to find our cats. We had to wear masks. There was ash everywhere. There were fumes. Our house was flat. Our truck was melted. The metal looked like a liquid. But it was solid.

    We found one of our cats. It was weeks before we found the other one. I was shocked that they had survived. 

    About a week or two after the fire, we were able to return to Lahaina to search for our two cats. We had to wear masks because of all the ash and fumes. The house was flat, and our truck was melted. Although the metal was solid, it looked like a liquid.

    We found our first cat, Pumpkin, on that day we went back—but we didn’t find our other cat until a few weeks later. I was shocked—and very happy—that they had survived.

    I go to a new school. My friends live all over. My family stayed in one house for a few months. Now we are looking for a different place to live. We want to go back to Lahaina. But we can’t for a while. The town has to be rebuilt.

    Back in September, there was a memorial event. We got on our surfboards. We paddled out into the ocean. We made a circle. We chanted. A helicopter dropped flowers.

    It was an amazing experience. It made me grateful. Lahaina is not being forgotten. 

    I’m going to a new school, and my friends are scattered all over. My family stayed in one house for free for a few months, and now we’re looking for somewhere else to live. We’d like to go back to Lahaina, but it will probably be a long time before it’s rebuilt.

    Back in September, there was a memorial event. We paddled out into the ocean on our surfboards, and at one point, we all made a circle and chanted. A helicopter dropped flowers.

    I’ve never experienced anything like that before. It made me so grateful that Lahaina is not being forgotten.